In the trucking industry, many different, sometimes conflicting concerns exist for vehicle operators, vehicle owners, and other potentially affected parties. For example, in situations where the owner pays for the vehicle fuel, one of the owner's primary concerns may be fuel economy. In situations where the operator is paid by the load, primary concerns of the operator may include overall trip time and vehicle drivability. The owners and operators, as well as the public in general, are also concerned about safety.
In certain circumstances, the above-mentioned concerns are of increased importance. For example, in driving scenarios involving frequent vehicle velocity changes due to traffic, road characteristics, etc. (e.g., urban operation scenarios), fuel economy may be in direct conflict with overall trip time. A driver seeking to deliver a load under such circumstances may aggressively accelerate and decelerate to minimize trip time. Such driving behavior, however, reduces fuel economy. Accordingly, it would be desirable to implement a system and method that could control performance of the vehicle in a manner that permits safe vehicle operation with acceptable drivability characteristics and also improves fuel economy without unacceptably increasing trip time.